Oakland school board lets the bidding begin for Heights School roof project

Oakland - The K-8 school district is accepting bids to replace the roof at Heights Elementary School, which is slated to be completed this summer.

Five contractors had obtained bid information as of the Board of Education's Jan. 27 meeting, according to Business Administrator Kyle Bleeker, who said the district first advertised for bids Jan. 22.

Bleeker said the district had scheduled a pre-bid meeting with interested contractors for Jan. 30, at which district officials were expected to review specifics of the projects and provide a tour of the roof, if necessary.

The district received a regular operating district grant from the state to cover 40 percent of the $2 million roofing project, which will include the full replacement of the 66,500-square-foot roof as well as 33 exhaust fans, insulation and roof drains. Bleeker said the $1.2 million balance would be covered by the district's capital reserve fund.

The board is scheduled to open the bids for the project on Feb. 25, according to Bleeker.

"We'll be able to see who the lowest bidder is then, but they'll still have to be researched by our attorneys, by the architects to make sure they're in compliance," he said. "Because this involves the state ROD grant, it also has to be reviewed by the state."

The district has alerted potential bidders that the bid might take longer than usual to award, according to Bleeker, who added that the longer process could put the district in a "really good spot" to perform its due diligence in awarding the bid.

Bleeker said the district's Safety Town program, which is typically held during the summer at Heights, will be moved to Valley Middle School because of the roof project.

Trustees raised the possibility of adding solar panels to the school's roof, but Bleeker said that project would not occur this year.

"With the roof being renovated this summer, it's probably not ideal because it wasn't part of the ROD grant," he said. "It's something that next year is a possibility."

"Considering the location of that building and how clear it is around it, that would be an ideal spot," trustee John Scerbo said.